AKT. 17 EAST AFRICAN VEETEBEATES LOVERIDGE 43 



Large brown cockroaches were seized with avidity when presented 

 to them, and fortunately these insects were by no means uncommon, 

 so that on the average the rollers got at least one a day. 



When both were hungry they were quarrelsome and pecked each 

 other viciously, uttering their harsh and noisy cries while they fought. 

 The bird is distinctly uncommon at Dodoma, probably because grass- 

 hoppers are not present in sufficient numbers during the whole year, 

 as I fancy they would be at Morogoro, where this species is so abun- 

 dant. Nesting sites are also a possible difficulty in this thorn bush 

 country except in areas where baobabs are numerous. (Dodoma, 

 vi. 26.) 



LOPHOCEROS MELANOLEUCUS MELANOLEUCUS (Lichtenstein) 



CROWNED HORNBILL 



LOPHOCEROS DECKENI (Cabanis) 



VON DER DECKEN'S HORNBILL 



Neither of these birds occur commonly at Dodoma, though both 

 may be seen occasionally. Half a dozen of the former and about 50 

 of the latter were brought in but did not do well in captivity, nor is 

 this entirely attributable to the fact that in most cases the long tail 

 feathers had been plucked out by their captors. 



Von der Decken's seemed hardier in captivity than the crowned 

 hornbill, but it is rather difficult to be certain owing to the dispro- 

 portion in their numbers. It is useless to place their food in a plate ; 

 it must be in a bowl into which they can thrust their beaks; even 

 then they wantonly throw most of it about the cage and eat but a 

 small proportion. Chopped meat formed their principal food and 

 was superimposed on half a bowl of rice, of w^hich they took but 

 little. Papaw cut transversely and placed in each cage was pecked 

 at a good deal. Seeing flocks of these birds feeding in the "mtama" 

 fields at Saranda — from which they rose like flocks of sparrows — I 

 supposed "mtama" would be acceptable to them, but this was not 

 the case. 



Their chief characteristic was their endless hammering at the sides 

 and netting of their cages. Double-wire netting would only survive 

 the attack for a day, for as soon as a strand was cut they would 

 alroitly twist the loose ends about and soon enlarge the hole, through 

 which they would escape. Fully a dozen adventurous birds got free 

 but were recaptured. 



An unwary hand put into their cages to place food or remove an 

 empty water dish could count on receiving a most painful jab from 

 the point of a bill or else a tweak no less unpleasant. 



Grass instead of sand on the floor of their cage enables one to 

 recover the scattered meat which they throw about; it can then be 

 used for feeding to the ducks. (Dodoma, vii. 26.) 



